Use code FWDLYMOM15 for 15% off your Flow Wall Purchase!
Ahhh the garage. Like many of you, when we look at our garage we shut our eyes in shame and dread the very thought of organizing the garage. As families grow and more and more “stuff” is acquired, the garage no longer becomes a space for your cars but instead a storage area for your household items. Garages too frequently are utilized as the “catch-all”. The place where you drop off everything that you don’t want to bring into your house or don’t know where else it should be kept.
With the busy lives of parents and children, the phrase “Just put it in the garage!” is used almost on a daily basis and eventually things get out of hand and it looks like your garage just sustained an explosion. Attempting to gain back control of your garage and get it organized and functional can seem like a very daunting task. However, items such as storage bins, label makers, and complete wall systems can transform your garage into the space you’ve always dreamed of. By cleaning up your garage and organizing your gear, everything can be kept more easily maintained, preventing the garage from returning to a state of disarray and dysfunction.
READ MORE: A Spring Cleaning List You Need To Use
When it comes to choosing a garage storage system, there’s no better choice than Flow Wall. A leader in wall storage systems and organizational solutions, Flow Wall is hands down the most effective way to turn chaos into control. Flow Wall is a combination of cabinets, shelves, drawers, and other accessories such as hooks and bins that can be customized to create the right system for your needs.
Steps to Organizing The Garage
Garages become a dumping ground for everything in the house that you don’t know what to do with. In order to really know what you have in the garage, pick a weekend to pull out everything of your garage to sort into what to keep, what to donate, and what to throw away. Now, don’t get overwhelmed when you look at everything! Following these steps will make the process of organizing the garage easy, successful, and streamlined.
Eliminate Non-Garage Items
Start organizing the garage by removing items that shouldn’t be in the garage. Items that are normally kept in the interior of your home need to be taken out of the garage and put in its proper place inside. If you have a mudroom, laundry room, attic, or shed, transfer anything that is usually stored in those locations back to their normal spot. This will give you a better idea of how much is left to actually organize in your garage without having to sort through items that shouldn’t be there in the first place.
Determine Categories
Looking at your garage as a whole, take a mental note of the types of items you have in your garage. Are you a sports family? Do you do your own lawn care? Is washing and detailing your car a regular activity? Like items should always be kept together as to more easily access them. If you notice multiple categories in your garage, make a list so you know which groupings you plan to create for when you begin organizing the garage. Some common categories are:
- sports gear
- automotive care
- car washing materials
- lawn and garden care
- cleaning supplies
- beach gear
- outdoor kid’s toys
- rags, chamois, drop cloths
- fitness equipment
- holiday decorations
- pet necessities
- luggage and travel gear
- paint and painting equipment
- recreational gear (camping, fishing, etc,)
READ MORE: Free Home Organization Apps To Get Your House In Order
Sort Contents Into Categories
A great way to start the sorting process of the items into your predetermined categories is to gather several storage bins. It is useful to utilize clear storage bins that allow you to see what each bin holds; however, if you have a different vision in mind, any colors will work but everything will have a more streamlined look if all of the bins and lids are matching. The bins do not have to all be the same size and shape as your category contents will vary in size.
When organizing the garage, it is better to get a variety of bin sizes to store the items so you are not wasting space. While you are in the process of sorting, it will be helpful to include extra bins that are designated for items that you want to throw away and items that you plan to donate. There is no point in putting away items that you never use or no longer plan to keep and this is a fantastic opportunity to relieve your garage of unused items.
TIP: When organizing the garage, have a bin available to put random parts and pieces that you aren’t sure of their use or purpose. During your sorting, you may come across the counterpart for that item that you had been looking for or lost.
Choose a Garage Layout
The layout of your garage is a very important part of this whole project. You do not want items that you need frequently to be located in a back corner or on a high shelf. You must determine which categories should receive specific, thought out areas when organizing the garage. Start by standing outside of your garage and looking at the potential storage areas. You have the back wall, two sidewalls, and the ceiling if necessary. Draw your garage if you have to and label each section with where you plan to assign each category to.
Install a Wall System
Installing a complete wall system will alleviate many of your organizational issues. A wall system is a combination of cabinets, drawers, shelves, hanging boards, and workspaces that provides sufficient and enhanced storage and organizational solutions. A system like this can take a lot of the guesswork out of how to effectively tackle organizing the garage. It also adds a great value to the overall look of your garage. Closed-door cabinets can hide clutter and items in disarray while drawers and hanging boards keep frequently used and loose items in a dedicated place for easy access.
Flow Wall’s 7 Piece Cabinet Set
Use code FWDLYMOM15 for 15% off your Flow Wall Purchase!
For a standard-sized garage, Flow Wall’s 7 Piece Cabinet Set is both a great size and arrangement of cabinets, open panel space and work surface. Varying in height, width, and depth, the cabinet options included in this set will make organizing the garage an effortless task. You will find every component of this set is high-quality, reliable, and versatile.
The panels can be installed on a cement, drywall, or brick surface and will hold up to 100 pounds of materials per square foot. After securing the panels to the wall of your choice you can begin to hang the cabinets. These cabinets are durable and strong and can hold up to 50 pounds. The wide metal door handles make these easy to open while the soft close hinges prevent a loud closure or items being shifted if a door closes too forcefully. The adjustable shelves allow you to arrange your contents into like sizes or categories.
One of the most useful features of Flow Wall is the option to customize. The back panel allows you to hang the cabinets at different levels as well as in different locations horizontally. If after you install your system you find that you will have better functionality if the cabinets are arranged differently, simply slide them to a new spot or adjust the height by moving the cabinets up or down until they are in your ideal location. There is no screwing and unscrewing involved. Flow Wall has made this an easy change when organizing the garage that allows users to experiment with what arrangement works best for them and the contents inside.
The 7 Piece Cabinet Set has a Jumbo Work Surface that provides 72 inches of space to quickly access items while working on a project. Constructed from textured thermo-fused laminate, this workbench area simply sits on top of the base cabinets, giving you ample room for organizing your materials, sketching and marking, and working with small items that require precision and detail. When placed on top of two base cabinets spaced apart, there is room for a stool or chair to sit down while you work. If you prefer to stand, you can use this area as an open storage space for larger items.
Adding accessories to your Flow Wall system will only enhance your organization. The hard and soft storage bins in several different sizes can be hooked directly to the panel and easily rearranged to adapt to your storage need. This variety of Flow Wall Bins will not only organize small items but also have these items readily available. It is so nice for commonly used items to be both visual and easy to access without having to dig through drawers and cabinets. These bins are ideal for small items such as nails, nuts and bolts, batteries, zip-ties, and other various tools. The Flow Wall Bins can also be hooked inside the cabinets if you want items out of sight.
By using the large selection of Flow Wall Hooks when organizing the garage, literally anything you could imagine now has the option to be hung rather than cluttering your valuable floor space. From bins and bags to tools and sporting equipment, there is a hook for everything. In addition to standard utility hooks, specialized hook options are also available including a magnetic strip to attach anything metal and a bike hook to store your bicycle vertically.
The Flow Wall Kits take the guesswork out of organizing the garage. Stop shopping for separate pieces trying to make something fit and work when you have an amazing design from Flow Wall at your fingertips. If the 7 Piece is too much for your space you may opt for smaller 3, 4, and 5 piece systems. If you require more space than what this particular system offers, you have the option to select kits up to 13 pieces in size. Every kit looks like it was professionally installed and all are built to last.
Maintain
Now, the last thing you would want after all of the hard work and time you put into organizing the garage is for it to return to its original state. Keeping your garage clean will be much easier with your new Flow Wall system and the tips that have been provided; however, to sustain this new order, you must be committed to a consistent routine of organization. Put things away in their proper place after you use them. Encourage kids and other family members to not just quickly throw them in an are but take the time to make sure the items are secure and neatly displayed.
Although this seems like a great goal, we know sometimes life gets in the way and there’s not always time to make sure the garage is constantly kept to the highest standards. Create a reoccurring organization schedule that you set in advance on a calendar. Whether you are organizing the garage monthly, quarterly, or yearly, you will have the opportunity to reevaluate the state of your garage and resolve any issues or messes. This is also a good time to inventory your items and determine if some are broken or no longer being used. Establishing this as a regular habit will hopefully prevent your garage from becoming uncontrollable again.
READ MORE: How To Avoid The Dangers Of A Hoarding Disorder
Use code FWDLYMOM15 for 15% off your Flow Wall Purchase!
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2020 is the year for home improvement. Many of us have spent our stay at home orders this spring outdoors. In the fall as the temps drop, we can move on to indoor projects like organizing the garage. Not only is an updated and organized garage more functional, but it makes your garage a part of the house that you want to spend time in. There is no better time to see what storage solutions Flow Wall has to offer to transform your space and bring order back into your life. Don’t stop at the garage! Flow Wall’s amazing kits are also great for your laundry room, outdoor shed, or workspace.
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Photo Credits: Sasha Staton
